Dental care services provided at Parker & Ace begin with a visual examination (see: Your Pet’s Dental Exam above). If dental issues are found, we will explain what we see and recommend the appropriate dental procedure. 

During this procedure, we will sedate your pet so we can conduct a more thorough exam, including visualizing the entire oral cavity and throat area, probing gingival pockets to assess periodontal disease and digital dental radiographs (remember, half of a tooth is under the gum line so radiographs are required for a complete assessment). We utilize all the tools necessary to make sure your pet is completely free of dental disease and pain.

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DENTAL TREATMENT PROTOCOL

Our veterinarians use a comprehensive multi-step protocol when performing a standard pet dental treatment. This protocol will be amended based on pre-existing medical conditions and findings from the dental exam. 

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The Parker & Ace dental treatment protocol includes:

• General anesthesia or sedation. This is necessary in all cases for us to do a thorough dental examination and professional cleaning. We use only the safest anesthesia protocols and the most advanced dental equipment. Your pet will be continuously monitored during the entire procedure and during anesthetic recovery for the safest and most comfortable experience.  Our monitoring includes pulse oximetry, EKG, respiratory rate, blood pressure, core body temperature, and CO2 output via a capnograph.  We also calculate emergency drug doses and have them ready in the very rare case they are needed.
• A complete dental exam will be performed before we begin any dental procedure. Digital dental radiographs are taken at this time, allowing us to view the internal anatomy of the teeth including the roots and surrounding bone. A thorough dental chart is used to record the dental health of your pet, and any procedures done during the dental cleaning.
• We use ultrasonic and hand scaling to remove plaque and tartar above and below the gum line. A thorough scaling below the gum line is critical to the success of any dental cleaning, as this is where illness-causing bacteria hide.
• We then polish the teeth to smooth the surface after scaling, making them resistant to additional plaque formation.
• Finally, a fluoride treatment is done to strengthen enamel and protect teeth against damage from plaque.
  

If it is determined that an infected tooth requires extraction, or there is a problem with the gums that must be addressed, then and only then will oral surgery be recommended.

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ORAL SURGERY

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If oral surgery is necessary, it can provide pain management and improve your pet’s quality of life. 

The Parker & Ace vet team may recommend the following:

• Gingival surgery, including tumor removal and removal of excessive gum tissue secondary to periodontal disease
• Extensive extractions of impacted or damaged teeth
• Oral tumor removal

Our dental facility allows our veterinarians to precisely perform the necessary oral surgical procedure—in order to help your canine companion live or regain a healthy and happy quality of life.

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